Strawberries and Cream Semifreddo

11th July 2017

On Monday I attended the opening day of Wimbledon 2017 with Häagen-Dazs, the official ice cream of the Championships. Inspired by the delicious Häagen-Dazs ice cream I tasted on my day at Wimbledon, I decided to recreate the same flavours in a homemade Strawberries and Cream Semifreddo.

This month, Häagen-Dazs has released a limited edition strawberries and cream ice cream bar coated in Belgian chocolate. It’s the perfect size for a snack, with the perfect flavour combination for a refreshing sweet treat.

Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the most important championships in the world. It’s been hosted at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, south London, since 1877.

What I love about Wimbledon is that it’s not just an event for tennis lovers. Anyone can go: tennis lovers or regular people who know little about tennis games (like me…), Londoners and tourists, young and old, single people or groups. Anybody can have fun and a great time at Wimbledon!

It’s not just about watching the tennis, it’s about the whole experience: from walking around the grounds to watching the players practice, from sitting on the hill and watch the centre court game on the giant screen to eating strawberries and cream. The Wimbledon Championships holds a unique place in the British heritage!

To get a ticket to Wimbledon you must enter a public ballot (which is substantially oversubscribed) or alternatively queue outside the grounds on the day. As you can imagine, tickets are hard to get, so I was very excited when an invitation came along from Häagen-Dazs to attend Wimbledon this year. I also had the chance to taste their limited edition Strawberries and Cream Ice Cream bar.

Eating strawberries and cream is *almost* obligatory at Wimbledon. What better food pairing symbolises the start of British summer than strawberries and cream?

Strawberries and cream served at the Häagen-Dazs VIP Lunch in the LTA President’s Suite

At Wimbledon, you can buy them from the kiosks and restaurants around the ground. If you are lucky enough to be a guest at one of the VIP suites, then you can bet that strawberries and cream will be served for dessert and afternoon tea. It is estimated that 28,000 kilos of English strawberries and 7000 litres of cream are consumed at Wimbledon every year.

Häagen-Dazs are celebrating this signature Wimbledon flavour pairing by turning it on its head with a Strawberries & cream ice cream.

For the occasion, they have also launched an indulgent Strawberries & cream ice cream bar. The limited edition treat is made with Häagen-Dazs’ signature luxury ice cream, handpicked strawberries and a rich Belgian chocolate coating.

The bright, illustrated packaging has been designed by the sports fashion brand founded by tennis legend Bjorn Borg, taking inspiration from the label’s iconic tennis legacy and harking back to the Scandinavian design heritage of the Häagen-Dazs brand.

Every Häagen-Dazs ice cream starts with 100% real cream, real milk, free range eggs and sugar blended with carefully selected ingredients, such as carefully selected strawberries. I drew inspiration from the Häagen-Dazs ice cream recipe to make a semifreddo gelato at home.

What I love about semifreddo is that you don’t need an ice cream machine to prepare it. The cream doesn’t require churning.

It’s simple to make: combine whipped cream with an egg yolk and sugar cream, plus your favourite added ingredients. Freeze overnight and you have a delicious and refreshing dessert ready for these warm summer evenings!

If you’re a frozen dessert fan and love the pairing of strawberries and cream, but don’t have time to make this semifreddo at home, pick up a tub of Häagen-Dazs Strawberries & Cream in store. It’s made with real cream, milk, eggs, sugar and strawberries and is the perfect alternative to this semifreddo.

Wash the strawberries and cut in half or quarters. Place them in a non-stick pan on a high heat, stirring constantly. After a few minutes add the brown sugar. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and allow the strawberries and brown sugar to caramelise for around 20 minutes until you have a jam-like consistency.

Stir in the lemon juice and remove the pan from the heat to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, add the 50ml of cream and gently work it into the jam.

In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip the egg yolks on high until they triple in volume for 10-15 minutes. Add the caster sugar slowly, ensuring it is well mixed with the eggs. The mixture should form a thick texture.

In a clean bowl, whip the rest of the cream to soft peaks. Then slowly fold the cream into the egg mixture, careful not to lose the volume.

Gently fold the strawberry jam into the cream. Place a large sheet of cling film over a plastic or metal container (I used a bread loaf tin). Pour the cream into the container, leaving the cling film to hang outside each side. Cover with a foil and place in the freezer for at least 12 hours.

About 5 minutes before serving, take the tin out of the freezer and flip it upside down over a long tray, before slicing it.

The Häagen-Dazs X Björn Borg limited edition single serve packs are available to purchase at Wimbledon and on Amazon Prime Now; the multipack collection is also available at Sainsbury’s across the country.

Disclaimer: this post was developed in collaboration with Häagen-Dazs. All opinions are my own.